Four Dunkin' Donuts Factories Found 'Inadequate Hygiene Management'

'BR Korea' released the CCTV footage at the time, claiming that someone deliberately dropped a foreign substance into the dough. / Photo by BR Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] The controversy is growing as four other factories besides the Anyang production plant of the donut brand 'Dunkin', which faced hygiene issues, were also found to have failed to meet hygiene standards.

On the 1st, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it conducted unannounced hygiene inspections at four production plants of BR Korea, a subsidiary of SPC Group operating Dunkin, and all four were judged non-compliant with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standards. The unannounced hygiene inspections were carried out over two days from the 30th of last month to the 1st at the production plants in Gimhae, Daesu, Sintanjin, and Jeju.

According to the Ministry, all four factories were found lacking in personal hygiene management, cleaning and disinfection of manufacturing equipment, and raw material health management, resulting in HACCP non-compliance. It was also reported that they violated the Food Sanitation Act by failing to properly manage the hygiene of food machinery and workplaces.

On the morning of the 1st, at a press conference held in front of the Seoul Regional Food and Drug Safety Office in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, employee A, who worked at the Dunkin' Donuts factory and reported grease contamination through a public interest disclosure, is explaining the factory's hygiene conditions and the circumstances of the report.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In response, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety stated, "Regarding violations of the Food Sanitation Act, the relevant local governments will take administrative actions and inspect whether the violations have been corrected after three months." They also added, "Regarding the HACCP non-compliance results, the company will be re-evaluated after completing corrective measures."

Previously, Dunkin Donuts faced backlash after a video was released showing grease stains on donut machines inside the Anyang production plant and contaminants found in the donut dough. In response, BR Korea announced that it would conduct hygiene inspections across all business sites and production facilities and strengthen management by strictly applying cleaning cycles for production equipment.

BR Korea also claimed that there were signs the whistleblower video was manipulated and said they would respond to the allegations. However, the whistleblower who released the video explained at a press conference held in front of the Seoul Food and Drug Administration on the 1st, "They are attacking the whistleblowing as manipulation despite it being for the public good," and added, "I made the public report out of concern for citizens' health and a sense of conscience."